The Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations Office in Geneva and the current President of the Human Rights Council for 2024, Omar Zniber, opened on Monday the 57th ordinary session at the United Nations Palace in Geneva.
The 57th session, running from September 9th to October 11th, was inaugurated in the presence of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.
The Moroccan presidency adopted the session’s work program without any objections from UN Council members.
It called on all delegations representing countries, as well as civil society representatives, to participate actively and to refrain from provoking others during the 57th session.
Marking the midpoint of his tenure as High Commissioner for Human Rights, Türk sounded the alarm about the deteriorating state of human rights worldwide, highlighting the increasing military tensions and conflicts in various regions.
He stated that “in every region of the world, we see a growing dynamic of power grabbing through force at the expense of human rights.”
Türk continued, “despite 30 years of global commitments to women’s rights, we still see patriarchal systems prevailing.”
In this regard, the UN official pointed to the deteriorating situation of women in Afghanistan, noting that laws in this country erase women’s existence and reinforce discriminatory views of women, in addition to their exposure to various forms of physical and sexual violence.
He also addressed the issue of racism against migrants of African descent, criticizing the policies of several Western countries, such as France, the United States, and Austria, which exploit the issue of migrants to expand their electoral policies.
The High Commissioner additionally condemned the trials of opposition figures and politicians in Tunisia and Venezuela, and he expressed alarm over the alarming rise in executions, particularly in Iran and Saudi Arabia.
During this 57th session, the Council will also consider reports prepared at its request by Special Procedures experts (Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts, and Working Groups) who have been mandated to address issues related to truth, justice, and reparations (September 11); contemporary forms of slavery, the use of mercenaries, and the rights of older persons (September 12); the right to safe drinking water and sanitation, the democratic international order, and cases of enforced disappearance (September 16); hazardous products and waste, and arbitrary detention (September 17); and the rights of peasants (September 18).
